. >> reporter: lance armstrong was emotional but not tearful. apologetic but not contrite. in an exclusive interview on own, armstrong admitted to oprah winfrey what had long been been suspected. >> in all seven of your tour de france victories did you ever take banned substances or blood dope? >> yes. >> reporter: he said he started doping in the mid-'90s before he had cancer. the cocktail was the blood buster epo, transfusions and testosterone all banned and denied by him for years until this interview. >> it's too late for probably most people. and that's my fault. you know, i view this situation as one big lie. that i repeated a lot of times. >> reporter: a lie that over the 90-minute program he made clear was contrary to his real attitude about doping. >> did it feel wrong? >> at the time? >> uh-huh. >> no. >> it did not even feel wrong? >> no. scary. >> did you feel bad about it? >> no. even scarier. >> did you feel in any way that you were cheating? >> no. the scariest. >> reporter: performance-enhancing drugs, he said, were part of the sport like air in the rider's